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PEG
(Percutaneous
Endoscopic Gastrostomy) What is gastrostomy feeding tube placement?
Gastrostomy feeding tube placement is a procedure
in which the doctor makes another entrance into your stomach through which you
can take food.
When is it used?
This procedure is done when you cannot swallow
because you have had a stroke or have another problem with swallowing or
appetite.
An example of an alternative is to choose to not
have a gastrostomy tube placed, recognizing the risks of not being able to eat
properly and accepting the natural course of the underlying illness. You should
ask your doctor about this choice.
How do I prepare for gastrostomy feeding tube
placement?
Plan for your care and recovery after the
operation. Allow for time to rest and try to find people to help you with your
day-to-day duties. Follow any instructions your doctor may give you.
What happens during the procedure?
The procedure is done in two basic ways. In the
first, open gastrostomy tube placement, you will receive a general anesthetic.
This drug puts you to sleep, relaxes your muscles, and keeps you from feeling
pain. The surgeon will make a cut in your abdominal wall and expose your
stomach. Then he or she will make a cut through the wall of your stomach and
place a tube through the skin into the stomach. Sometimes the tube will be
threaded further into the duodenum, which is the first part of the intestines
after the stomach. This requires a smaller tube, which plugs more easily but
decreases regurgitation. The surgeon will then sew the tube to your abdominal
wall and close the cut.
The second way, called percutaneous endoscopic
gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement, is usually done with mild sedation given in
the vein and a local anesthetic. The doctor will guide an endoscope through your
mouth and into your stomach. An endoscope is a long, narrow tube with a camera
and light on the end of it. It lets your doctor look into the inside of your
stomach. Your doctor will fill your stomach with air to make it bigger. He or
she will guide a needle through your skin and abdominal wall and into your
stomach. The doctor then will place a wire through the needle, retrieve it with
the endoscope, and bring it out the mouth. The doctor will place a plastic tube
over the wire through your mouth and push the tube along the wire's path into
your stomach. He or she will secure the tube to your skin.
What happens after the procedure?
You will be taken back to your hospital room. You
may stay in the hospital for 1 to 3 days, based on your condition. PEG tube
patients may leave the same day. You may be fed directly into a vein for 1 or 2
days. Later, you will be fed by a nurse or instructed how to feed yourself
through the gastrostomy tube. You may be shown how to care for the tube.
Ask your doctor what steps you should take and
when you should come back for a checkup.
What are the benefits of this procedure?
You will be able to get enough nutrition.
What are the risks associated with this
procedure?
You should ask your doctor how these risks apply
to you.
When should I call the doctor?
Call the doctor immediately if:
Call the doctor during office hours if:
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